With a DSLR and video wouldn't you go with a matt screen rather than split? If there was a split screen it would be best for stills.
I will use live view for manual focusing at times but it is limited by the crappy 240k pixels I live with.

I don't think the 5DII has any focusing abilities except for blazing hot sun shots. ;-)
Doesn't it go Nikon for bodies and Canon for glass?

For video, the 5D2 has no AF capacity.

I own the Canon 5D MkII and the 7D, both "pro-sumer" level cameras. Anyway, the 7D is much superior to the 5D2 when it comes to AF (for stills), so I use the 7D for nature and birds and the 5D2 for just about everything else. The 5D2 has superior high-ISO performance and copious pixels for capturing lots of details. All my L-series allow for instant MF when you grab the focus. If the 5D2 starts hunting, I switch to MF, with no real problems seeing the focus in almost all light.

I find it pretty rare that i'll get hunting with it. The only time it really happens is if i'm too close to an object and not in the focus range, it will try and get it at any cost...

in day to day, it's a fast enough autofocus for caual use, and your subject isn't going to get anoyed at you for taking a long time to get focus... it just isn't lightning quick.

9 times out of 10 i use the center focus then recompose, so maybe this is why i rarely have trouble focusing as it's the strongest one. I am trying the other focus points a little bit more, but every time i've tryed, it's been copious amounts of lights, so no real issues yet.

when you use the center focus point and recompose, you run the risk of losing sharpness in your scene since you are moving the camera around (probably by x degrees) and your focus plane may change. It all depends on your movement when recomposing though.

when you use the center focus point and recompose, you run the risk of losing sharpness in your scene since you are moving the camera around (probably by x degrees) and your focus plane may change. It all depends on your movement when recomposing though.

yup, that's why i try not to move too far. It's really noticable on the wide angle lens, it creates a very distorted image if you move too much, but that can be fun at the same time.

Got my Kata DR-467i backpack today and ordered a wrist strap as well. The bag is perfect, but I'm really happy with the wrist strap. I rarely use a full neck strap as it's meant to be used so it really just gets in the way, especially when packing away the camera. The wrist strap takes up much less room and is quick to slip in and out of as I take the camera out of the sling bag or the backpack. I think this company makes a side sling strap that uses the same hookups for the camera, so I may get one of those for the times I go walking with Wifey and bring the camera along.

Yeah, I like it. I can finally carry my camera stuff with me and take a lunch without needing an extra bag. For the NYC trip, it'll hold the camera stuff, my second camera (Panny FZ18) and my laptop. Plus the monopod strapped on the side. Although I bet they won't like me taking the monopod on the plane. May have to stick that in checked baggage. I'll pack my sling bag in baggage, too, and use that as I walk around NYC.

Yeah, I like it. I can finally carry my camera stuff with me and take a lunch without needing an extra bag. For the NYC trip, it'll hold the camera stuff, my second camera (Panny FZ18) and my laptop. Plus the monopod strapped on the side. Although I bet they won't like me taking the monopod on the plane. May have to stick that in checked baggage. I'll pack my sling bag in baggage, too, and use that as I walk around NYC.

grab a shoulder strap for new york too... with the camera at your side, you aren't as noticable. and it takes a lot of weight off. You're gonna have a lot of fun

I think i'm about due to start looking for a new bag, anyone know of a pretty give one? I hate leaving lenses at home....

This one holds my T1i with the 10-22mm attached, the 55-250mm, the 50mm, the 35mm, and the extension tube all in the camera section. The FZ18 is in the upper section. I supposed a big lens like a 70-200mm would be a tight fit anywhere in this bag.

This one holds my T1i with the 10-22mm attached, the 55-250mm, the 50mm, the 35mm, and the extension tube all in the camera section. The FZ18 is in the upper section. I supposed a big lens like a 70-200mm would be a tight fit anywhere in this bag.

yeah, i try to carry my 2 monsters, (70-200 and 100-400) and i can usually stack them, but now that i have the 135, i'm starting to feel a little cramped. Lately i've been debating selling the 100-400, but i know i would miss it a lot if it did. so maybe it will just get sidelined and packed in the suitcase from now on, and used when i know i'll need it. Day to day shooting, it doesn't have much use.

Especially when the 70-200 mounted on a crop body basically shoots the same distance as the 100-400 on the full frame (about a 50mm difference) (and yes, i realize one is a crop and the other is full, so logically with the same lens, they would be a similar crop if i cropped the full frame....)

Think Tank Urban Diguise
I have both the 50 and 60 MkII. I bought the 50 and liked it so much when the new 60 came out I picked that up. Beautifully made bags and I have the backpack strap to go with it. The strap is good enough to hold
body,100,28-135,18-55,300,1.4x,some crap and a Bogen 055.

I think I have had it up in the mid twenties for weight and the strap does not dig, the regular strap is very nice to but best not carrying a full load.

With either bag I can carry a 40D with the 300 mounted, tight fit but doable.

way back when, i walked the whole of manhattan with my crumpler whickey & cox bag. you have to take it off to unzip it, so it's a huge peace of mind. configured it so the camera fit at the top of the bag, lens pointed down: just unzip and pull it out by the grip and ready to shoot. i think i walked around Rome with it as well, but kept the camera strapped to my hand (no neck strap). the optech neck strap i have unclips near the camera, clipped those ends together and wrapped around wrist. comfortable and secure. don't know where the cushiony neck strap part of it is. never used it.
and the crumpler is good if you don't want a backpack that looks like a camera gear bag.

With all this bag talk... is it just me, or does anyone else feel it's excessive to carry a 20+ lbs of camera equipment on your back for an informal shoot (whether it's hiking, on a tour, etc)?

I feel like anything more than a body and two lenses is overkill and annoying to carry around (to me at least).

I agree with you 100%, however with my traveling and family stuff, I'm usually gone for more then just a walk. I'm sometimes gone for a month at a time, so i like to have my options available.

so if i'm just doing a walk around with a friend, and i know i won't be in a city or something, I'll leave my 100-400 behind an one or 2 others, if i'm going out into nature, I don't have much use for the mid to low range, so i'll take my wide angle and my 100-400 and maybe 1 other. My macro has a tendancy to go with me wherever i go, but i leave it in my house or my parents place or somewhere, i just like to have it near by just in case. But really have no need to carry it on me.

It's pretty incredible how much weight you can shed by just pulling a couple of lenses out.